The Happiest Days
by shawnders808
Summary: It was at that moment he knew that there were no 'happiest days of his life'. With her, it was simply a happy life.


**Hey guys. I haven't been in a writing mood recently, thus explaining my lack of updates on my other stories. So I figured to get my creative juices flowing, I would write up a one-shot in my down time. I've recently gotten back into Harvest Moon out of boredom, and I can't help but fall in love with it every time I start back up again. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy it! Much love!**

**Spring 1**

He'd been at the bar all night working, and now he only had thirty minutes until he could begin his walk home in the dark to his house in Flute Fields.

He washed a few glasses and was in the middle of drying them with a rag when she walked in. Had it not been for that annoying chime over the door, he would probably not have noticed her quietly walk in.

When he saw her, he couldn't help but stare. This girl was plain, but in a strikingly unique way of her own. She had long brown locks that cascaded down to her shoulders, curling out at the ends. Her chocolate doe-eyes were staring right back at him as she timidly walked toward the counter.

He coughed awkwardly and averted his gaze back to the now very dry glasses and stuffed them under the counter.

"Welcome to the Brass Bar. What can I get for you?" he asked. He watched as her cheeks flared pink in an instant. He watched her try – and fail – to regain her composure as she shyly looked up at him from across the bar. Had she noticed his stare?

She scrunched her nose and spoke. "Do you have a food menu? I got here late and the mayor told me I should come here, since the inn is closed right now." He silently slid her a small menu. He watched as her eyes scanned the menu he had memorized during his time working at the bar.

"Can I just get stir fry and a grape cocktail, but can the stir fry be to go?"

Although he didn't know for the time being as he'd just met her, he would eventually come to find out that she was a picky eater as he came to know her better.

**Spring 23**

Since the first day of Spring when she arrived on the island, she'd been to the bar every night for dinner. Though she was new to Castanet, he already considered her to be a regular and had memorized her daily order and the pattern of change within in. Sometimes she would switch her order up, choosing water or another flavor of cocktail when she got bored of grape. But that was only every couple days.

It was almost nine at night, which was the time she came in every day after she had finished her farm work.

He had no idea why he knew all of these things, or why he paid any attention to them. Normally, the chef would try to ignore others as much as possible. He had never been much of a talker. In fact, the only reason he knew this girl's name was from overhearing his coworker and boss's daughter, Kathy, talking to the new girl and introducing herself.

Angela.

It was a nice name, he thought. Although, he had no idea why he thought it.

Soon, it was twenty minutes past nine, and he had to wonder if she was coming tonight. Normally she showed up at the same time every night, so he was confused as to what made this night different. And even more confused as to why he cared.

He soon found the answer to his first question, which would eventually lead to the answer to the second question.

Almost forty-five minutes past nine, he heard the bell chime above the door and looked up to see who had walked in. It was her.

Just like every night, she quietly walked toward the bar and sat on the stool at the far end of the counter. She looked down, avoiding all eye contact with the other people in the dining room area, even though they were too focused watched the red-headed Selena belly dance on stage.

"Stir fry and a grape cocktail?" She looked up, shock crossing her face before her features settled into a soft smile.

"Not tonight." He felt an anxious pang in his chest as he felt embarrassment welling up inside of him for his assumption. He'd sworn he'd figured out her pattern already. But then she spoke again, this time quieter. "I actually came for a different reason."

He didn't really know what to say to that so he just nodded. "If you need anything, let me know."

As he was turning around to check on the food he'd been making, she called out to him.

"Chase, right?" He spun on his heel and nodded, raising his eyebrow in a questioning look. "A little bird told me you might like this."

He'd been far too engrossed in watching her movements and ignoring his own embarrassment that he never noticed the box she was carrying. She set it on the counter and pushed it towards him, then hopped down from her stool. Her cheeks were a deeper shade of pink than they had been on their first meeting, and she waved to him as she walked out.

Maybe it was because she never tried to talk to him like others did. Maybe it was because she respected his privacy. Maybe it was because she was insanely beautiful and emanated her own radiant light when she walked into her room. Maybe it was the fact that every time his violet eyes met hers, he felt like he was drowning in chocolate.

But he just couldn't stop thinking about her.

He opened the lid to the box she had pushed across the bar and felt a small smile tug at the corners of his lips.

He assumed Kathy had given her the idea.

A small, round cake sat in the box covered in orange icing and decorated with a green fondant leaf to make it look like an orange. Pretty cursive decorated the rest.

_Happy Birthday, Chase!_

Happy birthday, indeed.

**Spring 24**

He stood at the door of her farm house awkwardly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other repeatedly. In his arms he had a small bag of good quality salt. He didn't know what he was doing on her door step with his hand hovering in front of her wooden door. It was like every normal, rational, routine part of his every being was thrown off whenever any thought of her crossed his mind.

Resolving himself, he softly knocked on the door.

Then it opened, and he swore his breath and every word in his head left his body. She stood in the doorway looking groggy and rubbing her eyes sleepily. Her hair had a cowlick in the front, probably from sleeping. She had a cup of coffee in one hand and she sipped lazily from it.

"Hi," she said.

"Uhm, hi." Suddenly, he felt stupid again. Why was he even here? Oh right, because she'd given him an orange cake decorated to look like an orange for his birthday, even though she barely knew him. And all he had to give her was some extra salt. He groaned inwardly at himself, wishing he would close the door again so he could just knock on it with his head.

She gave him a questioning look. "Ah, I'm sorry to come by so early, but I was just passing on the way to town. I bought a lot of salt, but I can't use it all. I figured you might get some use out of it, too." Goddess, he wanted nothing more than to smack himself. Why did this whole situation ever seem like an okay idea in the first place?

But then she beamed up at him through her tired eyes, and he knew exactly why it seemed like a good idea.

"Thank you! You know, I actually was running low and I was fixing to go buy some today, so thank you! I appreciate it!" She took the bag of salt from him. "Would you like to come inside for coffee?"

His heart skipped a beat.

"I actually have to go run my errands before work today, but thank you. I just figured I'd come bring that to you." At her disappointed look, his heart beat faster. "Maybe some other time. Oh, and Angela. Thanks for the cake." With that, he walked off, hiding the deep blush on his face. What had gotten into him?

She had.

**Summer 19**

Time had passed since the chef's trip to the farmer's house. She continued coming in almost daily for dinner. She still occupied his thoughts, even on the days that she didn't come to the bar for dinner.

She still didn't talk much, but she had started bringing him oranges every day. He was unsure if it was Kathy or himself that gave away his love for oranges, but she had picked up on it, and it had not gone unnoticed to him.

He wanted to do something nice in return. He made a note to do just that in his head.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when the bell chimed and he looked up, hoping it would be her. It wasn't.

His hopefulness was immediately replaced with annoyance as the newcomer bounded up to him. "Chaaaaase~" she sang. He fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"What do you want, Maya?" He'd known Maya for quite some time and she had always annoyed him. Since his own first day on the island, Maya had developed an obvious crush on him and she had made it more directly known to him and the public on several occasions in the bar. It was never a pleasant time for him when Maya showed up.

Maya annoyed him for many reasons. First and foremost, she could not cook to save her life, and he had been on the receiving end of her disgusting failed dishes on multiple occasions. That was, before he finally refused to try anything else she made until she could learn to cook better.

It sounded harsh, but understandable when he thought of all the other things he hated about Maya. She was loud and obnoxious, especially around him. She was childish and often used what he called her 'baby voice' when talking to him. She also asked entirely too many questions for his liking.

His mind drifted to her.

An image of Angela popped into his head, from the day he'd brought her salt. Goddess, why did he give her salt, of all things? At least she appreciated it.

That was something that amazed him. She appreciated the smallest of gestures. She was polite to everyone, but it was always genuine. She never asked pointless questions.

Where Maya's presence irritated him, Angela's calmed him. He was so thankful when he heard the door chime again and looked up to see her walking towards the bar.

Maya huffed and stormed out, mumbling something under her breath. Had she been talking to him this whole time? Oh well.

"What can I get for you today?"

"Stir fry and a cocktail please."

"Grape?"

"Surprise me."

Those words made him smirk outwardly. Inwardly, he felt excitement. He couldn't explain it, but she just had that kind of effect on him.

He knew he wanted to do something for her to repay for that cake and make up for that stupid bag of salt.

**Summer 24**

He'd saved the oranges that she had given him for the past couple days in his fridge. He finally had enough of them, and he set to work on Angela's present.

When he woke up in the morning, he walked toward her farm, feeling more like a teenage girl than a grown man. But he supposed that's what feelings did to people.

At least, feelings were the only thing he could think to call what he felt for the farmer.

He walked up to her door, praying to the Goddess that when she answered it, he would be able to use his words wisely, unlike the last time he'd been there.

When she opened the door, it took everything in him not to gawk. She was wearing short pajama shorts and a plain t-shirt covered with a long hounds tooth printed robe.

"Chase, what a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?"

As he looked down at her smiling up at him in her sleep attire, it was then that he knew he was falling for this girl. She didn't have to do anything extravagant to his get attention. She just had to be herself and his heart would flutter, his hands would sweat, and his words would get caught in his throat.

"I brought this for you. I made it last night. I figured I'd repay the favor."

He handed her the box. "What is it?" she asked.

He just smiled. "I'll see you later?" It was more of a question, and she grinned at him for the umpteenth time in the few minutes that he'd been there. He left her farm and headed towards the town.

He looked back once to see a light blush creep onto her cheeks when she opened the box. Inside was a small orange cake, decorated like an orange.

_Thanks for the oranges._

**Fall 2**

The trees had just started changing colors and the temperature dropped a few degrees, putting a light chill in the air. He walked along the path toward the church.

Today was his first full day off in a while, and he decided to enjoy the fall weather with a nice, absent-minded stroll. He walked along, kicking pebbles and sending them flying in different directions.

As usual, he couldn't keep his thoughts from straying to her.

They'd gotten closer, he thought. At least, they talked more often when she came to the Brass Bar for dinner, and there were some nights that she stayed until the early hours of the morning with him while he closed the bar. Sometimes she even helped him when there were no other employees or customers around.

They still had never hung out, really. What would they do if they did hang out? What can you do with a girl like her? What kind of things was she into? Does she have hobbies? Is there something unique she likes to do?

The more he asked himself these questions, the more jumbled his thoughts became. He definitely had it bad for this girl. Goddess, he actually wanted to get to know her. And being the way he was, that was a shock, even to himself. Especially to himself.

He never liked being around others. He was easily annoyed, especially by people like Maya. He was sarcastic and straight forward, which many times made it near impossible to communicate with other human beings, considering he assumed he probably came off as rude.

With her, it was so different. He was honest with her when they talked. On one occasion, she even asked him advice on farm work related things, and laughed when he gave her a sarcastic reply about being a chef.

She was comfortable with his sarcasm and his blunt ways. She never took offense to any of it. In fact, she appreciated it more than anyone else he'd ever had in his life did.

He appreciated their often silent friendship. He appreciated their small talk. He appreciated their occasional deep conversations.

But most of all, he appreciated her.

As he walked up the steps to the Church Grounds, he was too engrossed in his thoughts about her that he didn't see her at first. He continued walking towards his favorite spot on the left side of the church. It was a beautiful spot overlooking the ocean and often brought him peace when he visited. There was something about the way the waves crashed against the rocks and rolled onto the shore that fascinated him and left him feeling relaxed and tranquil. This was his thinking spot on the island.

At least, it was. Until he met her.

He didn't hear her walking toward him, and he didn't hear her walk up slowly beside him. In fact, it wasn't until she tapped him on the shoulder that he realized she was there.

Goddess, of all places for her to show up, and with the worst timing too. The spot he used to come to in order to ease his troubled mind became the spot where he did nothing but think about her. Her beautiful eyes. Her beautiful smile. Her beautiful soul.

Despite his racing mind – racing with the thoughts of her – he inclined his head toward her and raised his eyebrow, choosing only to look at her through his peripheral vision. He found that whenever he looked at all of her clearly, his mind went blank and his words got stuck in his throat.

"Hi," was all he settled on. He fought back the slight blush creeping onto his face.

"Hi, Chase."

"Angela, do you want to go on a date with me?"

Wait, what? The shock on her face resembled the shock he felt at himself. What possessed him to say that? Moreover, why in the Goddess' name had his brain and his mouth decided to work properly for once, voicing his thoughts. He wanted to vanish.

She had her head down and her hands clasped together in front of her.

He had never been good with girls. In fact, he really had never had a girlfriend. All his life, he'd been concentrated on his passion. He aspired to be a great chef, and that was it. Not a husband. Not a father. Not a boyfriend. Not anything but a chef. He rarely ever thought of girls and dating as anything but a waste of time. But she was different.

"I'd love to," came her quiet reply.

"I'm so sorry, Angela. I just- wait. What?" he cut himself off and stared at her incrediously. "Seriously?"

She giggled at him, and her eyes lit up the same way her smile lit up a room. "Well, only if you were." She looked up at him, and he felt his nerves calm almost instantaneously.

Well, now what?

He hadn't thought about this being a possibility. In fact, he hadn't thought about it at all. Or maybe the problem was that he did, and he voiced it. He couldn't handle his brain. He had to think quickly.

"Would you like to meet me at Moon Hill around four?" he asked. She nodded sheepishly.

…

When four o'clock came around, he waited anxiously at Moon Hill. He hadn't planned on asking her out on a date. In fact, he never planned to ask her out at all. He figured she would be just like other girls, turned off by his brusque personality. But instead, she accepted it. She liked it.

This had to be perfect. For a spur-of-the-moment plan, at least.

He'd set out a picnic blanket on the top of the hill and placed a picnic basket in the middle of the blanket and four small rocks on the corners to keep it from blowing away or getting messed up. Around the basket was an array of various dishes, all things she'd tried at the bar and liked, along with a couple new, simple things he thought she might like to try. There were also sweets for dessert, and a bottle of white zinfandel. He hoped she liked wine, because he did.

When she did show up, it took every part of him not to freak out. What would he say? What would they talk about? Would she find him boring? Would it go well? What if it didn't? What if it did? What was the next step? What-

Her voice cut off his train of thought. "Did you do all of this?" she asked. He tried to smile as she walked closer, hoping it didn't look too forced. How could he smile when he was this nervous? She was beautiful. And it was for him. Okay, well, maybe not for him specifically, but she felt that their date was important enough to dress really nicely. Not that he cared. After all, she'd taken over his thoughts the night she first walked into the bar thirty minutes before closing wearing a pair of old jeans and a ragged Grateful Dead t-shirt.

Now, she was wearing a short blue dress with a pearl belt around her waist and white flats. Simple, but beautiful. Just like her.

He nodded. "I hope it's not too much. I just couldn't decide what to make."

"Chase, this is…." Bad, he knew it. He'd over thought and overshot it. "This is amazing! I can't believe you did all this in a couple of hours. I'm impressed!"

"Well, if I couldn't do this, what kind of chef would I be?" She laughed, and he found it easy to laugh with her.

They sat down, and he opened the bottle of wine.

Even though he'd never been one to talk a lot, he found it was also easy to do that with her too.

"Yeah, and Luke ran into the door and knocked himself out. I had a hard time getting him to Doctor Jin because Dale and I just couldn't stop laughing. Goddess, he was so embarrassed after that. He didn't come to the bar for a while after that."

She was laughing, and so was he. He wanted to hear that laugh every day for the rest of his life, he swore.

**Winter 4**

Since that first date at the beginning of Fall, they'd been on several more. Once, they went to grab lunch together at Ocarina Inn. On another occasion, she'd gotten sick, so instead of going out as planned, he stayed in with her and watched television. He'd made her tea to calm her throat and she'd fallen asleep in his arms while watching a movie.

They had started hanging out on a more regular basis. Many times when she came to the bar for dinner, she would stay until close, entertaining him and talking to him when the bar was dead, and sometimes even helping him when it was busy.

She was perfect. Everything about her, he'd decided. She was beautiful, yes, but it was far deeper than that. In fact, he wasn't sure if beautiful was a good enough word to describe her. She had a way of easing his mind, just like the sea did. She knew how to handle his sarcasm and she even bantered back sometimes, which always left them in a fit of giggles. When she talked about the things she loved, he loved to listen and watch the way her eyes lit up. Her smile burned brighter than a thousand suns. He found himself constantly wanting to make her smile. He thought about someone other than himself, for the first time in his life. He found himself making decisions and doing things, not just for himself, but with her in mind. He had never had anyone to think about before her. He was so thoughtful when it came to her because all he thought of was her.

If she got sick, he wanted to be the one to take care of her. If she was mad about something, he wanted to be the one to make her happy. If she was crying, he wanted to be the one to wipe her tears and be her shoulder to cry on.

If none of this described what love was, he didn't know what would. As far as he was concerned, this was the closest thing to love he'd ever felt in his entire life.

He wanted to tell her.

No, he needed to tell her.

They'd had the popular "what are we" talk already, and had decided that they were dating. They went on dates, they liked each other, so yeah, why not be dating?

Their conversation had been brought about when they'd gone to the tailor shop together and Shelly had commented on how cute of a couple they made. They had agreed together that they were in fact that- a couple.

Earlier in the day, he'd left a note in her mailbox to meet him at the lighthouse around four before he had work. Now, he was sitting on the bench near the lighthouse, waiting for his girlfriend to show up. Goddess, he would never get used to the reality that she was his. How had he gotten so lucky?

He waved to her when he saw her walking toward him and she smiled, waving back. She sat next to him on the bench and cuddled into his side. Her nose was bright red from the cold, he noticed.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Chase?"

He blanked. There was so much he wanted to talk to her about. He wanted to tell her she was amazing. He wanted to tell her that she was the most beautiful soul he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting. He wanted to tell her she had changed him for the better and that she made him feel alive. He wanted to tell her he loved her.

But how could he say all that? What was the perfect way to say it? He decided there would never be a perfect way to say any of it, just that he had to say it.

"I love you, Angie." He watched her eyes widen and her cheeks turn the same color as her nose. "I don't know when it happened. I just know that it did. I'm not sure if it was the day you walked into the bar for the first time, or my birthday when you made me a cake. Maybe it was our first date that made me realize it. I don't know. All I know is that the only word I can think of to describe the way I feel about you is love. I love spending time with you. I love getting to know you. I love opening up to you. I love talking to you and laughing with you. I love all of it. I love all of you. I'm sorry if this is forward, but I haven't been able to get you out of my head since the first time we met, and it has turned into something far deeper than I'd ever imagined." He wasn't sure what else to say. Was this where he ended it? Was there anything else he could say? "I just…. I just wanted to let you know."

"Do you want to know how I feel?" He could hear the flirty playfulness in her voice and it made his heart soar. He nodded. "I love you too."

He couldn't help the smile that plastered itself onto his face or the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding from escaping. He was so relieved to hear her say that. For the billionth time, he asked himself how he had gotten so lucky.

**Winter 8**

It was her birthday.

He had gotten the day off thanks to Kathy and decided to spend it with her. They snuggled on the couch all day together watching cartoons, then made dinner. He'd even made her cupcakes and sang her happy birthday.

Now full and content, they sat curled up on the couch together. She was leaned against him, focused on the tv.

"Do you want to go out for drinks?" she asked, looking up at him suddenly.

"Whatever the birthday princess wants," he replied.

…

She could hold her alcohol, but not nearly as well as him considering her size. They were five drinks in now, and he was pretty sure Kathy had been mixing them a lot stronger than necessary.

She was twirling her stool back and forth, caught up in their conversation. He could tell she wasn't drunk, but her level of intoxication was steadily rising as she ordered their sixth round of cocktails.

"So what made you want to be a chef anyways?" She's slurred her s's, and he fought back a laugh.

"Well," he started. What did make him want to be a chef? "I mean, I've always loved cooking. Even in foster homes and orphanages, I liked to do the cooking. I was never really liked by others, so being alone in the kitchen didn't bother me anyways. It gave me a chance to be alone and practice doing what I loved. When I was eighteen, I was working as an assistant chef in a restaurant and the head chef and I were really close because we had similar personalities. But we had different goals. He wanted to continue being head chef at the restaurant, but I wanted to get better. He told me about Yolanda, so I moved here hoping to ask her to teach me."

"Did she?"

"Yeah. It was hell at first, because she was strict. Our personalities clashed in the beginning but eventually we got used to each other, and toleration became a sort of weird friendship. When the bar opened up here, Yolanda thought it would be perfect for me to be the chef. She would have me make meals for her to try, and finally had decided I'd gotten better enough. She told me I was a wonderful chef and that it was time for me to experiment on my own. We can always get better, so I want to continue working to get as close to the best as possible. There's always room for improvement, the way I look at it."

"That's exactly how I see it!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air. "I swear, we think exactly alike. That's so awe-inspiring though. I love your ambition!"

Kathy called out that it was ten minutes to close. Had it really gotten that late already? How long had they been talking and drinking?

"Want to start walking back?" he asked. She nodded enthusiastically, slipping off her stool. He stepped off of his just in time to steady her as she stumbled a little, and she muttered a quiet thank you to him.

Once outside, he let the cool air hit his face. It didn't feel as cold as he'd expected, but then again, alcohol does that to you.

As they started off towards her farm, she grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together. He thanked the cold weather and the alcohol for the blush on his cheeks. How was it that he'd confessed his love for her, and yet such a simple gesture still made his heart flutter wildly in his chest and his cheeks flare?

They walked hand in hand to her house, and he had to help her balance multiple times on the way. The closer they got to her house, the drunker they both felt, the alcohol now having time to really set in.

She was giggling and swaying as they walked, and he took that moment to sear this memory into his brain. He really did love her laughter.

When they reached her farm, he walked her to her door. "I should be going, I suppose."

"I had a great time with you today," she said. "Every part of it."

"I'm glad, Angie. Happy birthday. Now get some rest, okay?"

She looked up at him with a shy smile, making his heart skip a beat. She was still holding his hand, too. Why did she have to be so adorable? Without thinking about it, he leaned down a placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Immediately, he scolded himself.

Though they'd been a couple for a while now, he still hadn't ever had the nerve to kiss her. He wanted to. Oh Goddess, there were so many times he wanted to. Whenever they were snuggled on the couch with her leaned against him, she would tilt her head up to look at him and he just wanted to kiss her. Whenever she would hug him for an extended goodbye, he wanted to lean down and kiss her. But he never did.

It was probably the alcohol that gave him the courage, and he hated that it he couldn't find the courage on his own. It wasn't as if she minded, though.

She pulled her hand from his and stood on her tip-toes, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him so suddenly, he thought he forgot how to breathe.

He held her face in his hands, kissing her back. He was enjoying every second of this.

When they pulled apart, he hugged her, placing another kiss on the top of her head. "Goodnight, Angie. I love you."

"I love you too, Chase."

**Winter 27**

He'd been working a lot recently, wanting as many hours as he could get in order to save up his money. He was planning something big for her and he wanted to make sure it was perfect. Of course, none of his plans ever worked out the way they were initially supposed to when it came to her. She was always surprising him. It just made him love her more.

Tonight he had worked especially late, but he was finally finished closing. All he had to do was make sure everything was off and lock the door. Then, he could go home to bed. He wanted to see her of course, but he was sure she was asleep by now. After all, she woke up at the crack of dawn every morning to take care of her farm work.

So when he walked out of the bar and locked the door, he was incredibly surprised to see her pacing back and forth in front of the building.

"Angela?" He walked closer to her.

"Chase! Goddess, sorry, I should have let you know I was coming. But uhm… well I was just… I was wondering…." She sighed. Why was she so nervous? "This is so difficult. I don't know how else to ask so I'll just…." She trailed off her sentence and pulled her hand out from behind her back. Now he knew why she was so nervous.

"Can we talk somewhere more private?" he asked.

…

Now they were on the Church Grounds, standing in his favorite thinking spot. The same one where he calmed himself. The same one where he spent so much time thinking about her. The same one where he asked her on their first date. The same spot where he was now standing with her, trying to come up with an alternative to his original plan.

He fiddled with the blue feather in his hands. It was so soft. And it was real, that was for sure. He'd thought it was only legend, but she'd found one, and she'd given it to him.

There was an island tradition that if you were to wish to marry someone, when the time was right, you could climb to the top of the mountain and a blue bird would show up. If you got one of the feathers, you could give it to your significant other as a proposal.

She had proposed to him. This was not how his plan had gone at all in his head, but he could work with it. At least now, he would know her answer.

He stood quietly for a minute with her, staring at the feather. She was nervously switching her weight from one foot to the other. With a new resolve, he handed her back the feather. He watched her face drop, but light up again as he knelt to the ground.

"I'd been waiting for the perfect time to do this, but I think now is as perfect a time as any," he started. "I'm sorry that I've been working so much lately, but I'd been saving up to have this made for you." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small velvet box the same color as the feather she'd given to him. She gasped, and he opened up the box. Inside was a beautiful diamond ring. "Angela, I told you before, I don't know the exact moment I fell in love with you. But I'm so happy that I did. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life getting to know you. I want to wake up to you every day. I want to see your smile and hear your laugh for eternity. You would make me the happiest and luckiest man in the world if you would marry me. So, will you marry me?"

She tackled him, kissing him hard on the mouth. He fell backwards and dropped the box. It clattered next to him, and he took one second to make sure the ring was still in it before closing his eyes and kissing her back. She pulled away, beaming. He leaned back on his hands with her in his lap. A smirk played on his lips. "So is that a yes?"

**Spring 13**

Today was the big day. Up until now, he was pretty sure he knew what it meant to live the happiest day of his life. But of course, when it came to her, nothing was ever as it seemed. He thought the day she fell asleep in his arms was the best day he'd had in his life. Then it was the day he'd confessed, and she told him she loved him back. After that, the happiest day of his life was when he kissed her. Then it was when she said yes.

And now he was standing at the altar, watching her walk down the aisle and trying not to cry tears of joy. She was gorgeous.

With every step closer she got to him, the more amazing she looked. Her dress hugged her tightly, then cascaded into a puddle of fabric around her small feet and trailed behind her. Her long brown locks were braided into an elegant up-do. Her hands were wrapped around a bouquet of pretty pink tulips, her engagement ring to him sparkling as the light hit it from all different directions.

It was at that moment he knew that there were no 'happiest days of his life'. With her, it was simply a happy life.

He smiled at her and took her hands in his own larger ones as she neared him, and she beamed up at him, just like she had countless times before.

They exchanged vows in front of their fellow islanders and Perry, vowing to love one another until death do them part. It was a promise and a commitment that he was beyond happy to keep.

"You may now kiss the bride," Perry said. And he did kiss his bride, in front of everyone. He poured all of the love he could muster into their kiss, reveling in the sensation of her soft lips against his own and the thought that he would get to spend his eternity kissing them.

Cheers erupted from the crowd of their friends.

Hand in hand, they walked out of the church toward her farm. Their farm. A beautiful melody of bells played in the distance as he carried her across the threshold of their new life together.

**Spring 14**

He'd never been so relaxed and at ease in his life. Surrounded by the ocean water, hugging his wife from behind, he let out a contented sigh.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's just beautiful," he said. She nodded. They'd been watching the sunset together on Toucan Island. Hamilton had given them boat tickets for their all-expenses-paid honeymoon as a wedding present.

Of course, he hadn't been talking about the sunset.

When the sun had finally set, they decided to go inside. She climbed into the bed in the corner of the room, patting the spot next to her. He obeyed, sliding in next to her.

"I don't think I've ever been this happy," she said suddenly. He smiled.

"I've been thinking the same thing since I met you," he admitted.

She tilted her head up at him and he kissed her, just like he'd always wanted to do when they had been cuddling on the couch together. She eagerly kissed him back.

This kiss was different than the many they'd shared before. This one was hungrier; more passionate. It made his stomach queasy and his heart flutter. He wanted this feeling to last forever.

He felt her hands fumbling with the buttons on his shirt in the dark, and his breath hitched. Was this really what she wanted? He did, of course. But he didn't want to rush her. He didn't want her to feel obligated because they were married. Of course it would happen eventually, and that thought alone made it easier for him to wait for the perfect time.

He grabbed her hand gently. "Angie, I want you to be sure. We can wait, I promise."

Without replying, she kissed him again. "I love you, Chase. I want this."

He felt like his heart was going to explode. He'd had sex before, in his younger years. It had never really interested him, just like girls never really did. They were casual flings in his moments of teenage stupidity.

But this was different. He had the woman he loved in his arms, and it wasn't just sex anymore. It was so much more than that.

He deepened their kiss as she continued to undo the buttons on his shirt. He paused their kiss only for a moment to slip her shirt over her head, and then he was over her, running his hands along her torso, memorizing every inch of her.

**Summer 19**

The past season had been hectic for both him and her. He spent a lot of time moving from his old house in Flute Fields. He didn't have a lot of things, really, but unpacking was a lot harder when someone else already lived there.

But now he'd unpacked the last of his boxes and finished the closing paperwork on the sale of his house. He still worked at the bar, however, he didn't work until close as often as he used to in order to spend time with her.

Tonight was a night that he did, unfortunately, have to work until close. Kathy was out sick with food poisoning. He wondered if his poor coworker had been subjected to Maya's cooking.

He decided to take a quick shower and then got ready for work, throwing on a white button-up shirt and black slacks. He tied his apron around his waist and then headed out of the door.

He stopped in his tracks.

She was sitting on her knees in the grass emptying out the contents of her stomach, surrounded by worried looking cows and sheep. Her horse whinnied at her softly with big eyes. He ran over to her.

"Angela, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just got really nauseous all of a sudden. I was watering the crops and it just took over me."

"Let's go to the clinic. Kathy has food poisoning, so maybe you have it too?"

She nodded and he helped her up. He looked at her face and noted that she looked exhausted. Maybe she had just overworked herself. It was the middle of summer, anyways.

Upon arriving at the clinic, she was taken into one of the back rooms and he was made to stay in the waiting room.

He'd been waiting for quite some time before Doctor Jin came out, gesturing for him to come in.

He worriedly followed and sat next to her when they entered the room. She reached for his hand reflexively and he squeezed hers lightly.

The doctor cleared his throat. "We ran a few blood tests to make sure that she didn't have the cold or anything else, first. The results were confirmed negative. However, blood tests also showed that you are pregnant, Angela. Congratulations to you two."

At first, he didn't know what to do. Then he smiled from ear to ear, his eyes shining as he looked at her.

"Angie… we're gonna have a baby!" She laughed at his excitement.

**Fall 23**

Upon finding out they were pregnant, he immediately set to work on baby-proofing the house. He'd bought those obnoxious plastic things to keep the cabinets closed. He'd bought a crib and put it in the spare room, along with a bunch of decorations that they'd ordered and some they had received from the baby shower.

She had insisted on painting the room, and after multiple arguments about that fumes and her safety, he finally gave in. She'd painted beautiful flowers all over the walls, as they were having a baby girl.

He had never dreamed about being a father. He'd never even thought about being a husband, really. But he guessed if he had to choose, he would have liked to have a boy. But as the due date got closer and closer, the idea of a little girl that looked like his wife running around grew on him, and he began to grow excited.

Nervous, but excited nonetheless.

Because of her large tummy, he'd taken over her farm chores and was currently taking time off work at the bar in order to help her out. He was in the middle of milking her cow Marie when she burst through the barn doors frantically. He accidentally knocked the bucket over as he stood up, rushing to her side to see what was wrong. One of the cows mooed happily as it looked in their direction.

"I think my water broke," she gasped.

"Oh! Uh…." He looked around the barn for an idea of what to do.

Her horse would be the fastest option, but he didn't think that the bounciness would be so great. Instead, he picked her up, placing one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees. She yelped.

"Chase!" she squealed. Despite her obvious terror and anxiety from what was about to happen, she laughed.

He speed-walked to the clinic as to avoid jostling her around too much or dropping her.

He used his foot to push in the door to the clinic and ran in. The nurse, Irene, immediately stood up from her spot behind the counter and called out to Doctor Jin.

Everything that happened after was a rather gross, messy memory of the miracle of childbirth. Yeah, it was a miracle, he thought, but a gag-worthy one.

When Irene brought a pink bundle into the room and handed it to him, all the 'gross factor' of the delivery had been erased from his mind as he stared at the new love of his life. He looked at the other love of his life and smiled at her.

"Have you guys picked out a name?" the nurse asked.

He nodded. "Welcome to the world, little Jovie."

He felt happiness overflow inside him as he handed his daughter to his wife and tried to burn the picture of his now two favorite girls in his mind.

Over the course of almost two years, his entire life had changed, but for the better.

Before, he only thought of himself and his career. Meeting her made him realize what love was. Being with her reminded him what happiness was.

He hugged her. "We did it, Angie. You did it. I love you."

She was exhausted, he knew. So when she handed their daughter to him, he used one arm to hold the bundle of baby and blankets and the other to stroke her hair as she drifted off into sleep.

He looked down at his baby girl in his arms and stared into his own violet eyes.

Life was wonderful. She was wonderful.

He couldn't help but smile.

**Wow, this was really long, haha. Sixteen pages and almost 8000 words (no joke!) later…. I hope you guys really enjoyed this! I had fun writing it. I wanted to write something happy and sweet. I want to apologize for any confusion while reading. I wanted to use their names only in dialogue. I'm not really sure exactly why honestly, but I liked the way it helped me flow things together a lot better. Feel free to review! Much love and thanks!**


End file.
